


Ailee and the Lightbringer

by KirkwallsChamp



Category: Fantasy - Fandom, N/A - Fandom, Original Work, Vampires - Fandom, fae - Fandom, faeries - Fandom, modern fantasy - Fandom
Genre: Bounty Hunters, Fae & Fairies, Faeries - Freeform, Fiction, Fighting, Magic, Original work - Freeform, Other, Vampires, Werewolves, fae, spriggan - Freeform, spriggans
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-08
Updated: 2017-02-08
Packaged: 2018-09-22 20:52:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9624908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KirkwallsChamp/pseuds/KirkwallsChamp
Summary: Life in the city is not what it seems.Voice Actor by day, and Vampire bounty-hunter by night, Lance Lightbringer gets more than he bargains for when he accidentally pulls a Spriggan into his less than perfect line of work.But his newfound partner proves to be both help and hindrance in the coming fight for his life; just how will things end?





	1. Chapter 1

Dull footsteps and dim lighting awaited Aileen O'Connell at the dead end of the alleyway. Why she thought it'd been a good idea to respond to a text past midnight in the city was beyond her; she was rethinking the idea only now though, when it was too late to circle back.

 

"Maureen?" she called, surprised at the timidness in her own voice.

 

No one answered, though the footsteps paused momentarily. Ailee pushed her dyed green ringlets behind one ear and pulled the ratty flannel she wore tighter to her chest, steeling her nerves.

 

"Maureen," she tried again, stronger this time, "No more ducking my calls, all right? I got your text, the one telling me to meet you here. Come on out, and let's talk like adults."

 

The person beyond seemed to be considering for a moment, weighing their options.

 

Her patience waned.

 

"Maureen," she snapped, "For fuck's sake, I--"

 

A velvety voice greeted her, setting the hairs on the back of her neck on edge, "Miss, I think you're mistaken, and I'm going to need you to quiet down."

 

She'd heard this voice a thousand times before; this time, however, hearing him speak didn't bring the same warmth to her chest. 

 

"You.... Holy shit-- Are you... Lance Lightbringer?" She asked incredulously.

 

Stepping towards her, illuminated by a dim streetlight, she confirmed his familiar face. 

 

Admittedly, familiar though he was, he wasn't really much to look at. In fact, when it came down to it, Lance Lightbringer was remarkably unremarkable. His limbs were long, on a slight but muscular form. His dark hair was done up impeccably, no doubt because of the press event he'd attended earlier. His skin was light, especially when clashing against the faded black t-shirt, black leather jacket, and dark washed jeans he wore.   
  
A moderately well-known silver screen actor, mostly popular from his voice acting work in the tech community, Lance Lightbringer was a particularly enigmatic character. His home life was deeply private, even from the most hardcore fans, but deep down, Ailee felt like on some level she knew him-- after all, he'd played more than a handful of characters that always seemed to draw her like a moth to a flame.

This was a man known only for his work in voice acting, and being a fan of the medium, Ailee would have recognized him anywhere.

 

"Oh! So it seems I've run into a fan? Charmed," He smirked slightly, flashing his unnaturally white teeth, "I'm sure. So, Miss... what are you doing here?"

 

In normal circumstances, Ailee would have scoffed and rebutted the question with sarcasm, but she found herself starstruck and said nothing.

 

Lightbringer smiled, somewhat gentler, and tried again, "Come on, now... You know who I am... Let me get to know you, too."

 

She sighed, feeling a wave of warm nausea wash over her, "I--"

 

"Shhh," he glanced around a moment, interrupting her with a raised finger, "Pause-- for just a minute..."

 

When their silence yielded no action, he seemed to relax once more. 

 

"So, again-- Who are you? What are you doing here?"

 

"I should ask you the same thing!" Ailee shot back, "What the fuck is a minor celebrity doing in a dark alley behind some movie theater downtown?"

 

"I... I'm meeting a friend here," He answered distractedly. Again, he glanced around the shadowed corners of the alleyway, "And, minor? Ouch. Way to wound, sweetheart."

 

The petname grated on her nerves, enough so prompt her to speak up.

 

"Sweetheart, what--"

 

"Ailee--?"

 

Maureen appeared at last, standing in the mouth of the alleyway, regarding the two figures  with surprise, "I thought I told you to come alone,"

"Maureen, I--"

 

"So," Lance cut in, stepping quickly toward the newcomer, "You finally showed up, huh? You've got some nerve. I'd like to remind you, you've have been issued several cease and desist letters from the DMC, and seeing as you've ignored each and every one, they sent me to intervene."

 

Maureen's gaze fell on Lance in disgust, "Oh, so those rumors were true? That you're some kind of  _ bounty hunter _ now?"

 

"Pays better than an acting gig," Lance smirked, "Though it does put my pretty face in danger."

 

"What the  _ fuck _ is going on?"

 

Maureen and Lance whirled around once more, diverting their attention back to the seemingly unwelcome visitor, cloud cover shifting in front of the moon and casting even deeper shadows as the wind rustled deadfall on the concrete.

 

"Ailee, I know what I said last time we talked, but please, don't leave me alone with him," Maureen cautioned, "I sent you that text for a reason."

 

"Miss, don't listen to her, she's not thinking clearly," Lance cut in, "You're going to want to just go on home, and forget you ever saw this mess..."

 

A tug on her heartstrings told Ailee that Maureen was pleading with her once again. It was true, things hadn't necessarily gone well between them the last time they'd met, but Ailee knew deep in her heart that Maureen meant more to her than just walking away now. In an act of defiance, Ailee pulled her cell phone out, a little bell charm chiming from it as she did so.

 

"I should call the police," she said, shaking her head in disbelief.

 

"Woah, woah, woah there, little green goblin," Lance interrupted her, "We both know magical jurisdiction is different than human. I'm just about done with my paperwork-- this was a contracted bounty, and--"

 

When she quirked an eyebrow at his defense, he paused.

 

"You... Do... Know about magical jurisdiction, don't you?"

 

"What?"

 

Lance's face contorted in surprised aggravation.

 

"Not another--- Goddamn it," He ran a hand through his hair in frustration, "Are you trying to tell me that you-- that you, you, you, you don't know what you are, or what community you belong to?"

 

The look of utter confusion on her face was enough to let him in on the fact that she didn't have a clue.

 

"Oh-- My God," He groaned into his hand.

 

"No, seriously, what the fuck are you talking about?" Ailee asked, backing away slowly.

 

Lance seemed surprised as she began to dial out 9-1-1, looking between Maureen and Ailee incredulously.

 

"No--" Maureen interrupted, closing the distance between them with surprising speed, "No, No, No-- Don't you--"

 

"Wait, slow down there, Sprig," With a fluid flick of his wrist, Ailee found she'd stopped moving; her finger hovering over the phone, she stared at him now with genuine fear.

 

"Let me go," she said, shaking slightly, "What's going on?"

 

"You need to listen to me very carefully now, kid, because you're not going to believe me at first," Lance sighed, quickly crossing the distance between them.

 

"This world is not black and white; there are people, places and things in it that are so far beyond your wildest dreams, that you wouldn't even begin to comprehend them."

 

Ailee looked at him, wide eyed, as he began to change before her. His ears grew to points at the tips, his teeth extending to fangs, sinewy muscles beginning to stand out on his thin frame. His posture changed, becoming more tense, and animalistic. He continued to speak as these changes occurred.

 

"You and I are not a part of the world you thought you knew, miss," The words were sounded out around his full mouth of sharp teeth, as the former Lance Lightbringer stared wild-eyed between Ailee and Maureen, "Now, clearly you and this one have some sort of history, and I get that-- believe me, I do, but you're going to need to  _ stand aside _ ."

 

She felt whatever gripped her slacken, ever so slightly, "And, for fuck's sake, don't call the police  _ just yet _ . they hate to be bothered by this kind of stuff--"

 

A bloodcurdling scream ripped at her eardrums the next second, as leathery wings and clawed extremities that seemed to form out of nowhere knocked her back into the hard wall behind them. Ailee's vision blurred into darkness for a moment as she attempted to regain her senses; she saw only dark shadows clashing as dust began to kick up in the dirty alleyway around her. 

 

A pained hiss rang out as a spatter of blood spilled onto the ground-- the shapes separated for a moment, Maureen's wings limp behind her now.  

 

Lance's eyes widened, as his shoulders tensed in sheer delight. He drank in the scent, momentarily.

 

Ailee felt Maureen's gaze suddenly divert to her, as the winged girl launched back towards her. She scrambled to her feet, a scream ripping from her lungs half heartedly.

 

"You'll never take  _ us _ alive," Maureen snarled, her clawed hands snapping tightly around Ailee's wrists, flinging her small body in front as a human shield.

 

"Maureen--?"

 

Ailee hated that she sounded so weak, but terror overwhelmed any other senses she could have had in that moment.

 

"Remember that I love you," Maureen's eyes met Ailee's in a moment of what almost felt like sadness. 

 

Ailee felt a familiar rush of endorphins as the world around her slowed. It was a feeling that swallowed her whole whenever she was around Maureen in the past--

 

_ She wanted to help Maureen; she needed to help Maureen. _

 

"Now, that's not fair," Lance snarled around his fangs, "Magical Jurisdiction states that any bounty matches settled must be done one on one,"

 

"To Hell with jurisdiction," Maureen snapped back, her nails pulsing painfully tighter around Ailee's arms; Ailee instinctively struggled against it.

 

"Fine," Lance sighed, "Let’s get on with it, then,"

 

He launched himself at them without further ado.

 

Ailee's eyes scrunched up tightly as a sickening splash of blood on the pavement echoed once again, the grip on her weakening as what remained of Maureen fell to the ground. Ailee collapsed to the pavement herself, her vision swimming red as nausea overcame her and she expelled the contents of her stomach onto the ground.

 

The last thing she saw before she lost consciousness was Lance Lightbringer, his muscles shifting back into place as he lapped crimson blood nonchalantly off his index finger.


	2. Chapter 2

Ailee awoke with a start, her head aching and ears ringing as her eyes adjusted to her surroundings.

 

She found herself lying down on a worn-in red couch of a dimly lit living room; thick, velvety shades were drawn over the windows, effectively blocking out any light that could have entered, which inevitably made it difficult to see what time of day it might be. The room was walled with high, dark-stained oak bookshelves with just a hint of settled dust. From around the corner, just out of sight, sounds of fat rendering on a frying pan accompanied by a little melody hummed through closed lips and the smell of a hearty meal being prepared brought reality crashing back down around Ailee; something was very, very wrong.

 

Glancing around, she quickly located her bag, which was slung over a shoe rack by the front door haphazardly. She shifted slowly and carefully toward the exit, when the couch gave a small creak.

 

She cursed under her breath.

 

“Good morning,” Lance grinned broadly as he stepped around the corner, a comically bright apron tied poshly around his middle, “Didn’t think you’d be up so soon. Just a few more minutes on breakfast, sadly…”

 

“Who are you, and just  _ what the fuck _ is happening right now?”

 

“Whaaat?” Lance quirked an eyebrow dramatically at her, “Come on now, you knew who I was last night, now suddenly I’m just some stranger?”

 

A popping sound from the kitchen indicated that he needed to quickly return and take control of the situation, which he did after chuckling, “Hold that thought.”

 

Ailee’s mind reeled--  _ was everything that happened last night actually true?  _

 

Part of her wanted to grab her bag and bolt while he was out of the room, but she moved too late as he returned carrying two big plates of steak, spinach and eggs.

 

“Here we are,” Lance smiled, setting them gently on the coffee table in front of the couch, “I’m afraid I don’t keep coffee in the house-- a bit too acidic for me,” He said, still managing to be cheerful as Ailee looked between him and the meal in utter confusion.

 

Her stomach betrayed her with an empty gurgle.

 

“Let me go home,” Ailee protested, albeit weakly.

 

“You’re free to go whenever,” Lance shrugged, “I just didn’t want to leave you out there for the cleanup crew, really. They get a little antsy when things don’t go according to plan.”

 

_ Clean up crew? _

Ailee’s stomach gave an uncomfortable flip as she remembered the night before. She nearly dry-heaved as Lance jumped to her side, “Hey, hey-- wait, shh shhh--”

 

His hand on her lower back was unpleasantly cold.

 

“Calm down, you’re alright,” he tried again, removing his hand when she shrunk away from him.

 

“You… You killed her!”

 

He grimaced, despite himself.

 

“Yeah, yeah I did.”

 

She looked utterly shocked as a word flooded out, “Why?”

 

It was a stupid question; Ailee could tell by the bewildered way he looked at her. Nonetheless, her heart ached slightly as she contemplated how one might answer.

 

“... Does it really matter, in the end?”

 

“Yes! Of course it matters! She was a person!”

 

He raised  pointer finger as if he wanted to interrupt her for a moment, though his mouth didn’t open fully.

 

“Not…. Not necessarily, in the full, real, sense of the word,” 

 

It was clear he regretted the phrasing he’d used when Ailee’s fists balled up angrily in response.

 

“ _ Excuse _ me?” 

 

“Look, I told you last night… Things aren’t black and white; things aren’t what they seem on the surface. Most of the people you’re dealing with, aren’t even _people_. When dealing with…. _Non-people_ , magical jurisdiction takes precedence.”

Ailee found herself scoffing aloud, “Oh, there you go again--  _ Magical jurisdiction _ \--”

 

“Yes,” He interjected, temper flaring slightly, “Magical jurisdiction. You, of all people should understand!”

 

“What do you mean,  _ me of all people _ ?”

Lance struggled inwardly for another moment before groaning aloud, “Well, I thought I explained it pretty well last night, but… The fact that y _ ou’re not human _ ?”

 

“Oh, yeah, mmhmm,” Ailee groaned dismissively, “And now we’re back to this bucket of crazy talk.”

 

Her stomach growled again, loudly.

 

He rolled his eyes, “Ugh, here… Just, eat up, while it’s still warm.”

 

She eyed the plate, carefully, weighing the odds. She didn’t normally eat meat; in all honesty, it only happened when she’d visited family in the past, or when a date ordered for her-- something that usually felt relatively patronizing. 

 

Also factoring in the idea that the offering came from a stranger she’d seen murder Maureen-- or, what she thought was Maureen-- she didn’t quite trust it. 

 

She may have  _ once _ felt a connection to this guy, but now that she’d seen him operate in person? He could be a lot more dangerous than she’d realized. What choice did she have, though? He watched her expectantly.

 

She glared down her nose as she pulled the plate onto her lap. The steak cut with ease, and she hated to admit it, but it smelled delicious. She shovelled a bite of everything into her mouth as Lance’s lips curved slowly into a triumphant grin.

 

“Oh, holy shit, that is just  _ excellent _ ,” he smirked under his breath.

 

“Wait, what?” Ailee groaned through her mouthful of food.

He chuckled, “Nothing,” watching with no small amount of amusement as she continued to wolf down the offering, “Nothing at all.”

 

“Dude, what the fuck? Stop staring at me while I’m eating, it’s super creepy,” she grumped, between bites, “You know, I usually don’t even--”

 

“Eat meat, right?” he finished for her, with a certain satisfaction.

She quirked an eyebrow, caught off guard as the fork was halfway back to her mouth.

 

“How did you--?”

 

“I told you, you’re not human…”

 

Ailee outright laughed, albeit sarcastically, “Right, yeah. So, if I’m not a human, what am I then? You just telling me I’m not human, that explains everything, huh?”

 

“You’re so stubborn,” He groaned, putting the book back before rounding on her, “ you’re a Spriggan. It’s a kind of… well, Fae, but, here’s the thing-- I know you’re not gonna believe me at first. Just listen though, alright? Looking at the Spriggan’s prime characteristics, I bet I can name off some pretty basic facts about you.”

 

When she didn’t give him any answer, he continued.

 

“Let’s see here-- you’ve clearly got the spriggan temper, sour attitude and chip on your shoulder… And, venturing a guess-- you currently live alone,  have  _ very _ few real friends, and work at a mom and pop shop that you’re  _ annoyingly _ proud of.”

 

“That could be anyone’s life you’re describing,” Ailee scoffed.

 

“Well, how about your name?” Lance interjected, pointing with his index finger, “That girl last night, she called you, what-- Ashley, Amy, Irene--?”

 

“You looked in my wallet, didn’t you?” Ailee said, deadpan.

 

“I… may have.”

 

“Fine. It’s Aileen. Aileen O’Connell.”

 

“Aileen  _ Orlaith _ O’Connell. That’s a pretty Irish name, isn’t it?”

 

“So what?”

 

“Spriggan live in bogs, swamps, wet and green places like that… That kind of seems like Ireland, right? But you… I’d bet money you were born here, in the city.”

 

“Okay, what would that have to do with anything? And-- How could you possibly know that?”

 

Ignoring the question, he plowed onward, “Your parents kicked you out when you hit 18, and you got caught more than once for petty theft growing up, right?”

 

She gave him an uncomfortable look. 

 

He got to his feet, walking over to one of the bookshelves on the right, where he pulled an old, faded volume. Flipping through a few pages, he settled on one where he read aloud, “Spriggan, spriggan…. Ahhh yes, last but not least, here:  _ females tend to eat fruits and grains that can be easily gathered near their dens. They eat meat only when offered by a male as part of the mating ritual. _ Honestly, I could go on, but I think I made my point, _ ”  _ he said, cheerfully, “Though, the coup de grace has  _ got _ to be the fact that you accepted that breakfast from me. I mean… a potential  _ mate _ ? Oh, Aileen…”

 

With his hand on his heart, she couldn’t decide if he was feigning glee, or spite.

 

“You’re out of your mind,” She whispered, “And either this is a  _ really _ fucked up, sick joke, or--”

 

Her phone chimed from inside her purse, interrupting her train of thought.

 

“Oh my god, what time is it?”

 

Lance shrugged, “Almost nine, why?”

 

“I’m late for work,” Ailee scrambled to her feet throwing the plate down on the coffee table with a loud clatter.

 

“Easy,” Lance groaned reproachfully, standing to walk her towards the door, “Don’t dismiss this just yet, alright? Give it some time, think about it.”

 

She scanned the shoe rack, locating her beat up black boots, which she pulled on roughly as Lance continued to monologue behind her, “... And once you’ve decided to believe me, come back here, okay? Let’s talk further, Aileen.”

 

She groaned, “It’s Ailee-- alright? Drop the  _ n _ ,” as she threw her bag over her shoulder and wrenched the door open, hurrying out and down a short hallway.

 

_ Oh my god, why am I correcting him???  _ She thought, taking a mental note of the condo’s address as she stumbled out of the building. If nothing else, it was the casual surprise that a celebrity lived in such a mundane place-- oh, never mind the fact that he murdered someone in cold blood-- In all honesty, she felt thoroughly bewildered and at a loss over the previous night’s bizarre turn of events. 

 

Part of her mourned Maureen, though another part of her, horrifyingly, did not. Of all the relationships Ailee had had in the past, the one with Maureen ended in more fights, vitriol and tears than she cared to admit; and yet, they’d gotten together on three separate occasions-- each bout not lasting more than a couple months, admittedly, but… Someone who was in and out of her life so much should mean  _ something _ to her… shouldn’t she?

 

Ailee forced the bitterness down into the pit of her stomach as Lance’s words echoed in her mind, something about  _ a Spriggan’s characteristic chip on their shoulder, sour attitude and lack of friends _ .

 

Why had he let her leave? Why had he not been more concerned that she’d call the police? Did he think his fame would protect him? 

 

Why was this getting under her skin? She was utterly unnerved.

 

“Ugh,  _ fuck _ that guy,” she groaned into her hands, her pocket jingling loudly as she moved. 

 

She looked down at it, mortified. 

 

Patting the pocket incredulously, she dug in and came up with an unfamiliar keyring. 

 

_ No fucking way _ .  

 

She wanted to scream. She couldn’t have stolen his keys. There was no way.

 

Lance had guessed right that, as a child, she’d been caught for petty theft, but he hadn’t insinuated that she’d gotten better at it since then. Nowadays it was mostly trinkets, or things people wouldn’t really miss-- but house keys, car keys-- these were things she didn’t ordinarily touch. He had to have planted them to get a rise out of her or something.

  
  
  
  


When Ailee opened the door of the coffee shop, a little tinkling bell alerted her coworkers that she’d arrived. By the look on their faces, they hadn’t expected her to come in after all.

 

One of the other baristas, a tall, willowy girl aptly named Maple, quickly turned the corner into the kitchen and disappearing out of sight. She returned only as Ailee stepped behind the counter, removing her jacket and pulling her purse over her head. Maple was followed by the shop owner, an older woman with her hair drawn back in a tight, gray bun.

 

“Ailee--” The owner spoke first, interrupted when Ailee backpedaled.

 

“Tori, sorry, I know I’m a little late, but--”

 

“It’s okay, Ailee-- We heard about Maureen, and didn’t know if that might…”

 

Ailee was struck with an odd thought; how did they know about Maureen? Did the police call her work? She wasn’t scheduled for this day usually, and Maureen didn’t have any family in state that Ailee knew of.

 

Thinking on her feet, she decided to test the water, “What did you hear about Maureen?”

 

Tori and Maple’s shoulders tensed noticeably.

 

“We heard she was… well... she died last night, Ailee. Did you really not know?” Maple shuddered the words out, her big eyes swimming with tears.

 

Ailee shifted her weight from foot to foot, considering how to respond.

 

“I… Part of me thought I dreamt it, honestly. She’s really gone, huh?”

 

“Oh, dear,” Tori stepped closer, enveloping Ailee in a tight hug, “I’m afraid so…”

 

“I’m still confused, though… How did you hear about it?” Ailee asked, still perplexed.

 

“We-- we passed the cleaning crew this morning, on the way to open the shop. Didn’t you?”

 

It was Ailee’s turn to tense,  realizing they’d used the same cold vocabulary as Lance--  _ Cleaning Crew _ . Not medical professionals-- Not Emergency Response--  _ Cleaning Crew. _

 

“No-- No, I think I was there…”

 

Maple’s eyebrow quirked, “You  _ think _ ?”

 

“It’s all kind of a blur,” Ailee shook her head, “I mean-- some guy was hiding in the back alley behind the movie theater, and I’d gotten a text from Maureen to meet her there, like, an hour before that, so--”

 

When Maple and Tori nodded along to the story, Ailee thought it odd that they didn’t question the fact that Lance had been waiting in a back alley.

 

“-- When Maureen showed up,” She continued, realizing the outrageousness to the story as it unfolded further, “He cited something about what he called  _ Magical _ jurisdiction, that she’d ignored her cease and desist letters, or something, then… I don’t know-- I think Maureen tried to use me as a human shield, and he ripped her apart with his bare hands, and something else happened-- I woke up at the crazy guy’s apartment, and then I came here…”

 

Tori shook her head with a sigh, and Maple clasped her hands tensely in front of her.

 

“But, that’s crazy,” Ailee’s brow furrowed as she spoke, “right?”


End file.
